Serenbe is Worth the Trip

The Serenbe community in Palmetto, Georgia is a city out of the past and the future all in one. This quiet community is one where you can safely leave your keys sitting in the ignition or pocket book in your car without worrying about either disappearing, but don't, just in case. The community was created to get away from it all. And, they did. There isn't a red light for miles. And, what a lovely photography place.

Serenbe Photography Center  ♥  9110 Selborne Lane ♥  Palmetto, Georgia 30268 ♥ 770-463-9098

I first made this hour trek from Atlanta for the opening of the Serenbe Photography Center many months ago. Recently, I traveled back to utilize their digital lab and 44" Epson 9600. I bought a roll of canvas, and I store it there at the center. Yesterday, we pulled it out and put it in the printer, and I printed ten nature images for about $100 for the ink and lab time (canvas cost not included). The largest was 16" x 24" and the smallest 8" x 8". The center has rolls of photography paper and adds that cost on if you don't bring your own. This is a great place to go to determine if you want to buy a big printer. But, how else would you be able to print a gigantic copy of your photograph without spending a fortune?

To enlarge your digital image to these big dimensions in photoshop, select the following:

Image/ Image Size 

click in the width drop down and change pixels to percent
Type 110 in the width box
Repeat until the image is the size you need.

In addition to the digital lab, they have traditional black and white lab and a color lab for traditional printing. They have just added new staff to complement Kathryn Kolb, the Exectutive Director. Stephen Brownlee and Loran Hygema are both working at the center to provide assistance and answer questions as needed. Both were very helpful and good resources.

As you see, I brought my camera to give you a feel for the place. I snapped both flower images yesterday at Serenbe. Learn more about Serenbe here. I have eaten at the Blue Eyed Daisy many times now, and the food is delicious.

So, here is your photography assignment. Travel to Serenbe and print a 44" image,

(which I haven't done yet)... and take your camera and take some photographs while you are there. The Photography Center is open Wednesday through Sunday 10-6. But call ahead to set up your lab time.

Does Julie Meet Julia Child?

Ahhh... Julie and Julie is a story about a blogger, Julie, who sets out to cook all of Julia's recipes. And, would love to meet the famous chef.

Yes, I am a blogger too. No, my mom hasn't bugged me to stop blogging like Julie's mom in the film.*

So, did you see the movie? I watched it tonight on DVD. The story was told alternating back and forth between Julia Child's life at the beginning of her career and Julie Powell as she blogs her way through cooking all 524 recipes in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julia is writing the cookbook while Julie is utilizing it. The film has a nice back and forth rhythm. It is very well done.

There were a couple of beautiful similarities between the two women. They both had very loving, attentive and supportive husbands. Both women love to cook and both women write. Each has a goal to "get published." Watching the movie made me think and ponder my goals as a blogger and an artist. Do I have a bigger purpose? Where am I heading? I do recommend the movie.

*Sadly, my mom has Alzheimer's and I haven't been able to share the blog with her. Yes, thankfully I have been able to share my art with her. She has taken many creations from my home to her home.

Teal, Turquoise, Blue, Green and Aqua Etsy Treasury

Yes, a treasury it s miniature art gallery with a nice theme or color scheme going on. I do love creating treasuries. This time I found a bunch of cute teal items and then in the end my theme, idea kinda gelled. It made it to the first page of treasuries today, Saturday, and hung out there. I created it around 10 am. Of course, I convoed all the lucky artists. This time I personalized each note I sent. Next, I tweeted and then added it to my facebook fan page.

Here it is for rememberance.

Put on a cute dress, grab your pocketbook, crank up the truck and head on OUT! You never know what might happen...

Study this one. There are baby clothes, children's clothes, bowls, a recipe box, fields and of course pretty jewels. Here are a few comments with a link to their shops.

creativevisions adds: Too cute! Magical combo of colors and items, just love it... Thanks for including my dragonfly tags!

artsfartsymemories: I LOVE everything here- This is my favorite Treasury this week- LOVE IT!

What fun! Thanks Etsy.
Footnote... my treasury moved off  the first treasury page Sunday. But I have gotten many more view. On Monday it says

 * 1584 views * 439 clicks * 55 comments

Ode to my GPS Garmin nuvi 255W

A friend bought me a wonderful photography tool, my GPS, pictured on the left. Of course it was very helpful on our yearly road trip, but it had a use I didn't imagine, which I want to share. On the trip, we were driving from Key Largo north and my daughter wanted to go to one more beach before we left Florida. So as I headed north on highway 75, I zoomed in on the coast on the left and I saw there was a quick jaunt to the beach at Naples, so we took 5th avenue into the coast. The city was gorgeous for photography, and we had a nice dinner. So, until you have a GPS, you don't realize what it can do outside of the obvious "get me there." Here's what I saw from the GPS (sort of) below.

This GPS has a picture viewer, which you will love as a photographer. After a shoot, I pop in my SD card, and it creates a slide show. The screen is about 4" x 2", so it makes a bigger image than the back of my camera. I don't know how to delete 12 shots Garmin has included with the GPS, which we have to view each time, but that is my only complaint.

The Garmin runs on batteries and holds a charge for a long time, so you can plug in your cell when driving or use it out of the car to view images. 

My model also tells the arrival time, which I like when heading to a meeting etc. It is very accurate and makes up for this model not displaying the time, which is in the car anyway. Don't buy a lower end model and lose this feature. But my favorite feature is that it displays the speed limit in the bottom right. This is especially helpful on long drives when I miss the speed limit change.

I do want to include a funny story, so it doesn't happen to you. This GPS used to fail everytime I didn't follow the route and made it recalculate. One day I was looking through all the functions while waiting in carpool line and I realized that someone had told my GPS to avoid u-turns, highways, toll roads, traffic and ferries, which made the machine quite confused when recalculating directions. To get to those features, click the following:

tools
navigation
avoidances (u-turns, highways, toll roads, traffic, ferries)

Make sure they are all unchecked. This was a good chuckle, and I loved the look on his face when I asked him about it! Go buy one. Or, if you have a GPS, let me know what model in the comments and what you think of it.

And, if you haven't listened to Billy Currington's boy meets girl song and story about Good Directions, take a listen.

Add a Little Flair to Facebook, Twitter and Etsy

Today I am writing a post for my own reference and for those of you whom do not know. A friend of mine decorated her wedding anniversary post on facebook with hearts, so...  "I want those hearts in my tweets and other postings," you say. Press and hold down the [Alt] key on your keyboard and type the following numbers on the number pad on the right of the keyboard.

[Alt] 3  ♥

[Alt] 13 ♪

[Alt] 14  ♫

[Alt] 167 º (on the mac [Op] 0) I think this is a zero

[Alt] 0189 ½

[Alt] 0188 ¼

[Alt] 0169 © (on the mac [Op] g)

[Alt] 0174 ® (on the mac [Op] r)

[Alt] 0153 ™

In another life I was a computer programmer, so this all makes total sense to me, but just do it if you want to jazz up your posts. Click the most complete listing of codes I found here. Happy posting♥. Yes, send me your questions...

Sara Evans Sings after Braves Win

Sara Evans is absolutely my favorite singer. Why? I do love the twang; she's country. Also, I guess in part because I heard her Cryin' Game after a particularly bad breakup, and it just settled me some how... And, I love her rendition of I Could Not Ask for More, an Edwin McCain song. In my opinion her version blows his out of the water. This photograph below (of mine) is named after this song.

The concert was perfect at the Braves. My youngest said, "This is boring. I've heard all these songs thousands of times." Which really made me smile.  But he was lucky to be there. His young friend happened to know all the words to Cheap Trick's "I want you to want me," which Sara closed with. She played two songs she doesn't usually play at a concert:  Backseat of a Greyhound Bus (which is a sad song about a woman/girl falling in love with her baby she births on the backseat of a greyhound bus) and Coalmine (I love this because my grandfather was a coalminer, and I so wonder if my grandparents might have... in this song, which is very hard to imagine). Here's the list of song she sang tonight 8/7/2010..

As if
Perfect
Born to fly
Backseat of Greyhound Bus
I Keep Looking
Saints and Angels
Coalmine
A Little Bit Stronger (New single written by Hilary Scott to be released 9/20)
Suds in the Bucket
Real Fine Place
I Could Not Ask for More
I Want You to Want Me

But when Sara sang Coalmine I was hopeful she might sing Pray for You, which is my favorite song. This is a sweet song about going back to mom's. I did not have that, so imagining it in the song is so wonderful. And, I hope my children will feel this way.... Sara is one of 7 children, so she probably had the whole porch thing. Here are the lyrics. Take a listen too.

Sometimes I wish I could run home to mama's lovin' arms

In the springtime, when the weather's fine
Sittin' with her on the porch, glass of tea and nothin' more
Than her smile, for just a little while
And when I don't know where to go
I think of home and how she use to sing to me, she sang
---Chorus---
Que sera, sera, life goes on
Whatever's meant to be will always be
And baby what don't kill you, will make you strong
Just love the journey that your on
In all you do, I'll pray for you

Wild horses and fairy tales sometimes turn into somethin' else
That you never saw comin' at you at all
So I guess I'm callin' just because he wasnt who I thought he was
And I can't believe he stopped lovin' me
So, when I'm feelin' all alone
I think of home and how you used to sing to me

---Repeat Chorus---

I got babies of my own
And I'm the one that they're countin' on to be here
For every little tear, and I'll sing

---Repeat Chorus---

Ok... so did I take my camera to the Braves game? Of course. And, I did pay attention to the game. We are now big Wagner fans. I think he pitched nine strikes in a row to seal the shutout. By the way, A camera lens needs to be smaller than 5 inches for entry in Turner Field, so these were shot at some distance with a 200 mm lens. Search stadium bag rules to find out before you attend the game. The Tampa Rays allows a 12 inch lens.

 

 

 

My Art For Sale at Thompson's Frame Shop

Before my art career, frame shops were a necessary evil. I needed stuff framed to hang them on the wall, didn't really care what the frame looked like. Lots of money and sometimes didn't like it... And, it took forever.

And, then I found Thompson's Frame shop at 7560 Holcomb Bridge Road  in Alpharetta. (My daughter happened to be taking dance a few doors down.) When I first took my art there, and they said it would be ready the next day, and I was shocked. But that's their way. Many years later, when I started framing my art of course I used the Holcomb Bridge store, but one day I wondered if the Thompson's at 1062 Johnson Ferry was part of the same group. And, sure enough. I had my order delivered to Johnson Ferry and picked it up there and began working with the wonderful staff at Johnson Ferry.

Laura, Carrie and Angela are amazing and very talented! The frame shop is more like a coffee shop in attitude. Yes, I have framed many works by now, but they make it fun and know all about their customers. And, we learn about them too. And, my art is still ready the next day. But the best part is that my art is now for sale there. I hope you willl stop by and take a look. There are four framed images:  Flowing, Curtsey, Waltzing, and Together and loose, unframed photographs of 20 flowers. I started this blog post because Carrie and I were looking through my new ACEOs recently and together came up with the cute title of "First Date" for these flowers. This is my latest addition to Etsy, and the image was selected for two treasuries the first day I listed it. Here are a couple coupons to get you to Thompson's.